Course Coordinator: Dr Sharyn Gaskin
Phone: +61 8313 4957
Email: sharyn.gaskin@adelaide.edu.au
Location: School of Public Health

The full timetable can be accessed from MyUni.

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the planning and implementation of public health activities being pursued or planned in public health organisations

2. Integrate and apply public health coursework in the workplace context and to the nominated public health project

3. Demonstrate the application of selected public health professional competencies in the placement setting

4. Demonstrate professional skills through involvement in the day to day functioning of the public health organisation

5. Understand the importance of working in teams in a public health setting

6. Locate, critically evaluate and synthesise relevant evidence from multiple sources in a planned and timely manner for the nominated public health project

7. Demonstrate awareness of ethical issues that arise in public health research and practice

8. Demonstrate effective written and oral communication skills in presenting the conduct and findings of their defined public health project

No single textbook covers the material to be considered during this course. All students are required to review the literature that is
relevant to their project. Students will have access to bibliographic databases and peer-reviewed journals and relevant software for analysis.

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MyUni is used extensively for announcements, discussion board, recordings of seminars, recommended resources, details of assessments, and assessment submission.

The teaching and learning in this course is facilitated by:

Seminars: Weekly 2-hour seminars for the first 4 weeks of the semester that will cover core skills and relevant concepts for the WIL placement. In weeks 5-8, students will meet individually with the course coordinator(s) to discuss their specific project.  Further 2-hour seminars will run in weeks 9-12 that will include coverage of core skills in preparation for presenting projects, and students will have the opportunity to hear about each other’s placements and review the course. Where relevant, guest speakers will be invited to present in their area of expertise related to the concepts covered in the course.

Placement: Students will be placed with a public health-related agency for up to 2 days per week, for the duration of the semester. The workplace supervisor will assign tasks in order to foster learning about the day to day work and planning of one or more aspects/programs at the workplace. Additionally, the workplace supervisor will support the student in defining and implementing a small project.

Seminars: 8 x 2 hour seminars

Placement: up to 2 days per week for the duration of the semester

Approximately 3 hours per week of non-contact study time, including to prepare assessments.

1. Work at the placement organisation - on day(s) as planned with the workplace supervisor
2. Seminars: eight x 2 hour sessions.

Seminars may be modified to suit student needs, but will cover topics such as: Introduction to Work Integrated Learning; Placements and expectations; Literature searching; EndNote; Workplace skills; Presentation skills; Effective writing of reports; Interactive feedback of workplace experiences; Student oral presentations.

Role of the academic supervisor
It is the student’s responsibility to initiate and maintain correspondence with their placement supervisor in order to get feedback on their project. The placement supervisors will review a draft of the project proposal (end of week 3) and of the executive summary (end of week 11). Students will be offered the opportunity to meet individually with the course coordinators throughout the semester to discuss their progress with their placement and project.

Code of practice
Students must complete a Student Learning Agreement and have it signed by the course coordinator and the placement supervisor. This form needs to be completed after consultation with the placement supervisor regarding the nature and extent of the project and a copy should be provided to the course coordinator in Week 1.


Students should be aware that the host organisations have busy working environments and that students should act at all times with respect for the normal daily activities of the host organisation. As well as a general requirement for appropriate standards of
behaviour, decorum, and dress, there are a number of specific protocols that must be observed.

Confidentiality
All students should be aware that any organisation may be operating in a sensitive environment. It is essential that students adhere to a code of absolute confidentiality and discretion. All information gained through access to the papers and other materials of host organisations should be regarded as confidential unless otherwise notified. The long-term success of the Program depends on students acting in accordance with this understanding.

Status on placement
Each student should accept the same disciplines and constraints to which salaried staff are committed. It is important that students should not allow anyone to believe that they are members of staff. During their period of internship, students at all times remain
enrolled members of the University of Adelaide and are expected to abide by the usual policies and by-laws of the University.

Correspondence
While it may be appropriate for some correspondence in connection with your project to come from the office of the host organisation, nothing should be sent under the letterhead of an organisation without prior permission.

Expenses
Any travelling costs to the placement site, or other incidental costs incurred by students as part of the project will remain the responsibility of the student. Neither the University nor the participating organisations have any funds to meet such expenditure.  Any other arrangements must be directly negotiated and agreed upon between student and supervisor.

Police check
The placement organisation(s) may require that the student acquires a National Police Certificate prior to commencing the work placement. In that case, it is the student's responsibility to apply for the police clearance and present the certificate to his/her
workplace organisation. In order to reduce delays, it is advisable that students obtain a Police Certificate in advance, if there is any doubt about the need for one. If the organisation requires a police check, that will be recorded in the Placement Agreement. 

Australian citizens and permanent residents can apply for a police check at either:
National Crime Check: https://www.nationalcrimecheck.com.au/police_check_south_australia_sa
Or through SA Police at https://www.police.sa.gov.au/services-and-events/apply-for-a-police-record-check
International students can apply for a certificate through: https://www.afp.gov.au/what-we-do/services/criminal-records/national-police-checks#process

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Assessment Task	Assessment Type	Percentage of total assessment weighting	Learning outcomes assessed
Preliminary project proposal	Formative	0%	1,2,6,7,8
Class participation	Summative	10%	5,8
Reflective journal	Summative	20%	1,3,4,5,7
Oral presentation	Summative	10%	1,2,6,7,8
Supervisor assessment	Summative	20%	1-8
Final project report	Summative	40%	1,2,6,7,8

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Preliminary project proposal
Students are required to submit a 1 to 2 page preliminary proposal on their workplace project, in consultation with the workplace supervisor. The summary proposal should include a brief introduction to the issue, objectives of the project, project design, and timeline.

Class participation (10%)
Attendance and participation at ALL fortnightly seminars and placement commitments is required and an attendance log will be kept. Students are also required to participate in at least one professional public health event. The Course Co-ordinator will post options for public health events on MyUni e.g. attending:

• Research Tuesdays, e.g "An Apple a Day"
• SAHMRI seminars 
• Healthy Development Adelaide seminars
• Conferences such as the PHAA SA Population Health Conference  

If the student is unsure whether an event is appropriate, they should contact the Course Coordinator who will verify the relevance of the proposed session.

Students must provide evidence of participation (e.g. eventbrite registration receipt, an attendance certificate). 

Reflective journal (20%) 1500 words
The reflective journal is for students to reflect upon their learning experiences with regard to the concepts such as organisation vision, objectives, strategies, activities, management and target population. The journal may include reflections on the host organisation structure, priorities, information system, team work, stakeholders and work with the community. Students should also reflect on any issues or challenges they face and how they have overcome them.

Oral presentation (10%)
Students are required to develop a ten minute oral presentation in the form of a narrated PowerPoint presentation which they will submit through MyUni. The oral presentation is the student’s opportunity to share their experience.

Project Report (40%) 3,500 words
This report will be provided to the placement organisation as well as being submitted to the University for assessment. The project report will be assessed by considering evidence of originality, quality of argument and demonstrated knowledge of factual information. The report should include a title page, a two- page executive summary, table of contents, introduction to the project, methods, activities/results, discussion and conclusion, acknowledgments and references.

Workplace supervisor feedback (20%)
Assessment by the respective workplace supervisor carries 20% marks for the course. The workplace supervisors are requested to make this assessment using the Supervisor Report Template.

Extensions
All extensions for assignments must be requested, at the latest, by the last working day before the due date of submission.  Extensions will generally be granted only on medical or genuine compassionate grounds. Supporting documentation must be provided at the time a student requests an extension. Without documentation, extensions will not be granted. Late requests for extension will neither be accepted nor acknowledged. Only the Course Coordinator may grant extensions.

Supporting documentation will be required when requesting an extension. Examples of documents that are acceptable include: a  medical certificate that specifies dates of incapacity, a police report (in the case of lost computers, car & household theft etc.), a  letter from a Student Counsellor, Education and Welfare Officer (EWO) or Disability Liaison Officer that provides an assessment of  compassionate circumstances, or a letter from an independent external counsellor or appropriate professional able to verify the  student’s situation. The length of any extension granted will take into account the period and severity of any incapacity or impact on the student.  Extensions of more than 10 days will not be granted except in exceptional circumstances.

Late submission
Marks will be deducted when assignments for which no extension has been granted are handed in late. All assignments, including those handed in late, will be assessed on their merits. In the case of late assignments where no extension has been granted, 5 percentage points of the total marks possible per day will be deducted.  If an assignment that is 2 days late is awarded 65% on its merits, the mark will then be reduced by 10% (5% per day for 2 days) to 55%. If that same assignment is 4 days late, the mark will be reduced by 20% (5% per day for 4 days) to 45%, and so on.

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and
program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering.

Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources
(e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

We greatly values the feedback we receive from our students as it helps us to continuously improve our courses so we encourage all of our students to complete SELTs regularly for every course.